MELLOW MINT MOCHA

December 15th, 2018

pin it!pin it!
I’m either sipping this herbal coffee mint mocha in the afternoon/evening or doing a full-on espresso based version in the morning. December is my month for minty mocha enjoyment. It’s so festive and I’ve come around to the idea of mint in my coffee in the last year or so. It works so well with a bit of sweetness in the mix! Lately I’ve been getting up around 5:30, I drink a ton of water, plan out my day, and then I hang with the doggies by the fire and sip this cozy drink for a few minutes. Our days have been pretty jam-packed as the holidays heat up (I’m sure you can all relate), so I really look forward to that chill time. It’s a small but big thing, ya know?

While I’m working on carving out more of the small-but-big in my life, I’ve got some links for you to check out below. I feel pretty good about this collection! One more note about the drink too before I go: I was sent some samples of Mellow Rooster herbal coffee substitute (zero caffeine), and that’s what I’ve used here. It’s the best faux coffee replacement I’ve tried and I love that it has some tension taming ashwagandha in it too. Whatever herbal coffee (or regular coffee!) you’re into will work perfectly here. Stay mellow, my friends! :)

So a few months ago, I got on the celery juice train and it was, no joke, amazing. Bloat was gone, sweet/greasy food cravings were gone, and digestion was FLAWLESS. I actually enjoyed the taste too! But like all things, I just slowly stopped with the thought that I would eventually pick it back up again. Well, this piece popped up on my radar this week and now I’ve got a crisper full of celery and my juicer is back on the counter. I’m jumping back in, baby!

Just, Inc. (the company behind Just Mayo, Just Cookie Dough and that new scrambled mung bean “egg” product) is making meat from animal cells in a bioreactor. This honestly makes me kind of squeamish! They maintain that the animal experiences no pain at all in the cell harvesting process, but does cholesterol and saturated fat etc. develop in this incubated meat? If this went to market tomorrow, I can’t say I’d be rushing to try it because it’s still… animal based I guess? I get that their goal is to provide meat without the environmental ramifications at an affordable price point for everyone. Curious what other people think of this wildly futuristic food experiment.

Sustainable and socially conscious holiday gifts. Donations made in the recipient’s name have been my preferred go-to for the last few years. I totally get that in some situations, this may not be appropriate (LOL, try giving a five year old a card explaining the good work being done by the NRDC in their name).

To really know me, is to know my love for Guy Fieri, and not in some silly ironic way. I legitimately respect the guy and think that he’s pretty great. Eater’s 12 days of Guy Fieri is really driving my holiday enjoyment… all the way to Flavour Town (you knew that was coming).

I was lucky to receive some skincare samples from Sahajan recently, and I have feelings about this line. I have had chronic skin issues for most of my adult life. I went from brutal cystic acne in my 20’s right on over to eczema and just constant blotchy redness, all despite an overall healthy lifestyle. At this stage, I still have some scarring and this time of year usually brings a big scaly irritated patch on my cheek, overall dryness, and extra sensitivity. The increased refined carbs and sugar that tend to float around throughout this season don’t help. But this line has been a straight up miracle for me. My scars are fading, I do not get red anymore, and even after a long walk in the cold and a couple hours in front of our hella drying fireplace, my skin still feels plump and moisturized. I’ve tried A TON of skincare lines (with wildly varying prices), and none of them have been this effective. The Radiance Serum is my favourite, and I love that the body oil smells like marshmallows and jasmine (it would make such a nice gift). This endorsement is not sponsored! I’m just really stoked about my skin these days :)

NOTES: I love my milk frother, but if you don’t have one, here’s what you need to do: Heat everything but the brewed herbal coffee in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to combine. Once the milk mixture is simmering, whisk it really vigorously to get some bubbles, and then pour it over your brewed herbal coffee. Not exactly the same, but still delicious.-My favourite herbal coffee is Mellow Rooster.-Oatly is my favourite milk for frothing, but I have notes on my favourite homemade non-dairy milk here.
-Use espresso instead of herbal coffee if you’re down for a caffeine buzz.6 oz strongly brewed herbal coffee1 teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste8 oz non-dairy milk1 ½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder2-3 drops peppermint extractcoconut whip for topping, optionalIn a milk frother or stovetop setup (see recipe headnote), combine the non-dairy milk, cocoa powder, and peppermint extract. Set the temperature on your frother and froth the milk mixture. Once the frother is done, pour it over the brewed herbal coffee. Top the mellow mint mocha with coconut whip and a dusting of cocoa powder if you like.

Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about the bioreactor meat, definitely wouldn’t eat it. That being said, I see a near future where that’s the overwhelming option, factory farms largely disappear, and free-range becomes something meat eaters only choose for special holidays, or only for the very wealthy. Some people will always choose meat despite the health impacts and as this type of production outpaces factory farming in terms of costs, I think it’ll take over. I can definitely see some people choosing this option and others refusing as it’s not ‘real meat’ but it’s pretty fascinating.ReplyCancel

Sophie K.20/12/2018 - 6:23 pm

I so love these happy hour posts. A new holiday drink I’ve seen around is a juniper latte. It has a pine-citrus element too, I believe. I’m wondering how you would adapt that idea. Pine-y flavors are fantastic in my opinion. I keep juniper berries in my tea cabinet for my own tummy tea blend, but combining that flavor with coffee never crossed my mind.ReplyCancel

Kelsey F21/12/2018 - 6:57 pm

This looks so good! I need to pick up some peppermint extract to make this. :)

I think research into lab-grown meat will be so important! Though I am personally ok with significantly reducing my meat consumption to align with my views and priorities, there are huge groups of people around the globe who don’t want to. Accomplishing humane, environmentally-friendly, and affordable meat production can make a significant impact on the environment and animal welfare. I would love to see all fast-food restaurant meat products replaced with lab-grown meat.ReplyCancel

That meat really weirds me out. I will say this. I’ve recently switched my dog and cat over to a species appropriate meat-based diet (which obviously felt v. emotional for me), and if this were an option for them then I would use it.